1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a rotary fill member for a die assembly used in a press.
2. Background Art
A press is generally provided with a die assembly that is used to perform an operation on a blank, such as a sheet metal blank. The die assembly may have a movable component that is positioned by an air or hydraulic cylinder to back-up a portion of the blank. The movable component may be a rotary fill member that is shaped like a drum that includes a die forming surface that is rotated into position below the blank.
The cylinder is effective to position the movable assembly, but variations may be encountered in manufacturing plant operating conditions and with different dies and presses. These variations may include, but are not limited to, varying air line length, varying diameter of the air line supply to the air cylinder, varying air cylinder characteristics, and variations in plant air pressure or hydraulic pressure. These types of variables complicate adjusting of the actuation of the movable assembly by the air powered cylinder. To accommodate variations in timing, cycle times may need to be decreased which makes it more difficult to meet high speed production demands. Operational timing problems are exacerbated by the use of air powered cylinders with high speed presses.
Rotation of a rotary fill member between a fill position and a retracted position must be coordinated with loading and unloading the blank in the die. The blank must be loaded and unloaded at specific times to allow for transferring of the blank between operations. As press speeds increase, the time required to move between the fill position and the retracted position is shortened.
There is a need for a system for actuating a rotary fill member that can be used with increased stroke rates and higher speeds while producing high quality sheet metal parts. The embodiments disclosed below are directed to overcoming the above problems and other problems that will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.